Hello Dickinson Families!

October is here! Can you believe it? I hope you enjoyed your three day weekend! Often times parents ask how can I help my child at home? Reading every night and reviewing graded assignments is a great way to ensure your child is mastering classroom instruction routinely.

This week is 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade levels innovative week. Please be sure to ask your student about it.

I hope this message finds you well. I would like to take a moment to address some important safety concerns regarding the carpool line during drop-off and pick-up times at our school.

Recently, we have noticed several safety issues that could put our students at risk. These include:

• Cars not following the designated flow of traffic.
• Students being dropped off or picked up in unsafe areas.
• Cars speeding or failing to stop at appropriate points.

To ensure the safety of all children, we kindly ask that parents strictly follow the carpool guidelines:

1. Use the designated drop-off and pick-up zones only. Please avoid letting children exit or enter vehicles in undesignated areas. Many parents are parking and walking students across during the morning drop off. You should stay in the carpool line unless you need to enter the front office.
2. Drive slowly and carefully at all times, being mindful of other cars and pedestrians.
3. Stay in the carpool line without passing or cutting in front of other vehicles.
4. Avoid distractions such as texting while in the carpool line.
5. Be patient as safety is our top priority, and we want to ensure every child is safe during these times.

By working together and following these guidelines, we can keep the carpool line safe for everyone. Thank you for your cooperation and for helping us maintain a secure environment for our students.

If you have any concerns or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Warm Regards,

Channon Almendarez

#dolphinproud

Dolphins who complete the challenge will earn a brag tag from the library and their name will be added to the Beanstack wall of honor! Happy Reading!

George Ranch Junior FFA membership is now open! Junior FFA is a great way to meet new friends from all over the Maroon track, participate in fun activities, engage with our community through service projects and learn about animals and agriculture! Click the link to join: https://forms.office.com/r/3wbrcZbAvq

Starting the 2024-2025 school year, Lamar CISD is moving from Smart Tag to Versatrans My Stop. You can access your student’s bus route through the MyStop e-link to view:

- Route number

- Bus stops

- Estimated arrival/drop-off times

Click here to login: https://mystop.lcisd.org/elinkrp/Login.aspx

All you need is your student(s) ID number and date of birth to login. To view instructions on accessing the e-link: https://youtu.be/nmd_284gp9U.

You can also download the Versatrans My Stop App to view your student(s) active bus route’s arrival time to the designated bus stop. Guardians can register one student. If they have more students within the district, they will be added to the same account. To login, you need your student(s) ID number and date of birth.

For more information, please visit https://www.lcisd.org/transportation.

This year to ensure your child's safety all change of transportation notes must be sent to the front office or you can call by 2:00 to make a change. Teachers need to focus on instruction during the day so please do not send them any emails for a change. Please call the front office at 832-223-1400. There is a form below you can print and have for your file in case you want to send in a note. A handwritten note will be accepted as well. Thank you for your understanding!

Annual Volunteer Background Checks Via Raptor

Want to volunteer? Plan to attend field trips? Assist with Holiday Parties?

Dickinson Elementary has an amazing reputation for partnering with our parents and community to serve our students in a multitude of ways. It's important to review and update the volunteer application regularly to ensure it meets current safety standards and legal requirements. This process helps to create a safe and supportive environment for both volunteers and the children they interact with.

If you completed this task last year, you received a message via e-mail like this sample:

Hello,

Your ability to volunteer at Lamar Consolidated ISD will end on 6/30/2024. If you plan to volunteer after that date, please take this time to complete a volunteer application by selecting this link https://apps.raptortech.com/Apply/NTk1OmVuLVVT.

Thank you,

District Volunteer Coordinator

For our new volunteers, please follow these steps to become a volunteer at Dickinson:

1.) Apply to volunteer by completing the volunteer application found https://apps.raptortech.com/Apply/NTk1OmVuLVVT

2.) After you receive your volunteer clearance email, contact the campus or department you wish to support as a volunteer to receive information on next steps.

If you have any questions or would like more information about the district’s various volunteer opportunities, please contact:

Asia S. Duhon (Partners in Education Coordinator) at mailto:Asia.Duhon@LCISD.org OR 832-223-0383.

Technology Devices

Personal Technology Lamar CISD believes that appropriate use of students’ technology devices enhances our students’ education. This includes but is not limited to: cell phones, smart phones, iPods, iPads, electronic tablets, and laptop computers. At Dickinson Elementary: All electronic devices stated above, including Smart Watches, must remain in the student's backpack turned off during the instructional day. Please review the code of conduct below regarding cell phone(electronic devices) policy. We have technology available for students to use while on campus. Thank you for reviewing this information with your child before school starts. We want to ensure that students are engaged in their learning and want to help minimize distractions.

Our Site Based Management Team voted and decided to make a slight change to the Dickinson dress code. Students may wear a collared (polo style, no logo) solid color navy blue, light blue, red, or white tops. A Dickinson spirit shirt may be worn any day of the week. Bottoms, including leggings may be in solid color khaki, navy blue or black pants, capris, shorts, skirts, skorts, or jumpers. If leggings or tights are worn, they must be under shorts, skirts, or jumpers. Blue denim jeans permitted on Fridays.

This is a video that all of the students and staff were required to watch as part of our safety protocol. LCISD is committed to keeping all of our students and staff safe. If you ever have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Our fence is completed. I am currently working with maintenance and operations to get some signage with hours and expectations during non-school hours.

Get your Dolphin reading and logging their reading minutes with our Beanstack Reading Challenges! The Library sponsors monthly challenges where students read and then log their reading minutes through ClassLink and the Beanstack app. Students who complete challenges within the challenge dates will earn a Brag Tag to celebrate their reading achievement.

Safety is our top priority! In Lamar CISD, we follow the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) to prepare and respond to crisis situations should there ever be a need. It is important to be prepared for a quick response to keep our staff and students safe. When we practice drills, parents will receive an e-mail that we practiced a drill. Below is information about the SRP so that you can keep informed about the protocols we have in place. We need your support for when you visit the campus by wearing your visitor badge on the left or right side of your chest / torso in visible view for our staff members to see at a quick glance. The sticker badge should not be worn on the pants, arm, purse or other areas besides the upper chest area. Thank you for your help keeping our dolphins and staff safe!

The culture of Dickinson Elementary includes a partnership with our community. Last year, our parents volunteered hundreds of hours to support our students and staff. We value our partnership as together we educate our dolphins. This year all volunteers are required to register as a volunteer. This includes PTO Board Members, work room volunteers, Watch Dog Dad volunteers, room parents, field day volunteers, library volunteers, and the list continues! Please visit this website to begin the process:

https://www.lcisd.org/community/volunteers

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to the front office at 832-223-1400.

Thank you for giving the gift of time for the success of our campus! What you value, you give your time to! - Channon Almendarez

• October 10th: Field Day
• October 11th-October 14th: Fall Break
• October 15th: Fall Picture Day (Free Dress)
• October 18th: Trunk or Treat 5:30-7:30 PTO Fundraiser at Dickinson
• October 25th: Early Dismissal @ 11:45, Ron Clark Pep Rally (Wear your house colors.)
• October 28th- Nov. 1st: Red Ribbon Week
• November 5th: Voting Site at Dickinson Elementary: Campus will be closed to lunch visitors today.
• November 7th: 3rd Grade Veteran's Day Program at 6:00 pm
• November 12th: Student Thanksgiving Celebration during lunch: Campus will be closed to lunch visitors on this day.
• November 22nd: Student Holiday
• November 25th-November 29th: Thanksgiving Break

Email: channon.almendarez@lcisd.org
Website: https://www.lcisd.org/campuses/dickinson/home
Location: 7110 Greatwood Pkwy, Sugar Land, TX 77479, USA
Phone: 832-223-1400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dickinsondolphins